September 12, 2019

Chiropractic Pain Management

Top 5 Rehabilitation Exercises After The Common Car Accident Injuries

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Paul Ruggiano

Written and Reviewed by

Paul Ruggiano

Chiropractor

Primary Office

Icon Medical Centers

232 SW 8th St
Miami, FL 33130

Unfortunately, auto accidents are highly common in Florida. A total of 388,032 accidents were reported to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in 2017. Of the total number of car crashes reported, 41.5% resulted in injury and a total of 246,285 people suffered from injuries!

The injuries resulting from a vehicle collision vary from person to person. However, some of the most common car accident injuries suffered after a car accident include whiplash injury, muscle strains, joint injuries, wrist sprains, tendinous lesions, broken bones, spinal injuries, car accident head injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. These injuries can have lasting effects on your daily life and function.

It is important to understand that every injury case is different. Therefore, it is critical that you seek medical attention so that a medical professional may evaluate your injuries and decide what kind of treatment is appropriate for your recovery.

Listed below are some of the top rehabilitation exercises that can help to restore your physical health after an accident.

1. STRETCHING

Stretching is essential before performing any type of physical exercise because it gets your blood flowing and your body warmed up. This is especially important when injuries are present because your body is vulnerable to further injury. Stretching prior to rehabilitative exercising will help to prevent any further injuries. Stretching will also help to regain normal range of motion.

Although stretching can be very beneficial after an accident, you should not stretch within the first 72 hours after the crash. Your body needs rest and stretching may cause unnecessary stress on the injured area.

2. MASSAGE THERAPY

Massage therapy can have a wide variety of benefits to your health and restoration after an auto accident. Massages over the areas of the body where pain is coming from will help to relieve the pain by reducing muscle spasms, swelling, and stiffness. Massage therapy also stimulates tissue healing and reduces tissue scarring by improving the circulation of oxygen and nutrients. Another benefit of massage is an increase in joint flexibility due to the tissues and skeletal muscles over your joints being manually stretched.

3.  ICE AND HEAT

Applying ice to areas of inflammation can be extremely helpful in reducing inflammation. Ice can also work as an analgesic, numbing sharp pain temporarily.

Applying heat to the injured area will help to increase blood flow. This will allow more oxygen and nutrients to be delivered to the site of injury, resulting in faster recovery. Although heat can be beneficial for healing, heat should not be applied if inflammation is present. Instead, apply ice to the area to reduce the inflammation.

4.  STRENGTHENING EXERCISES

Strengthening exercises can help those who have been injured in a car collision to regain their strength, improve flexibility, and reduce pain levels. Although rest seems like the right thing to do for healing, moving and exercising can actually make the recovery process much quicker than staying in bed would. This is because movement and exercise get the blood pumping, providing more oxygen and nutrients to the injured areas.

Strengthening exercises also work to strengthen the vulnerable ligaments, tendons, and muscles that help to protect other important structures throughout your body.

5.  TRACTION THERAPY

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that results from a car crash. Traction therapy can be a very helpful whiplash treatment, which works to relieve pain and reverse the damage done to the cervical spine by stretching and straightening the vertebral column. Traction therapy works by manually creating space between the vertebrae, relieving compression and improving the body’s ability to heal itself.

At Icon Medical Centers, every member of our medical staff is trained to provide the specialized medical treatment to return you to normal function. The medical professionals at our Miami accident center include car accident chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons, pain management specialists, physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians, licensed massage therapists, and board-certified neurosurgeons.

After carefully giving a diagnosis, our experienced car accident doctors in Miami will provide a detailed treatment plan to help reduce and resolve your pain. Specialized medical treatment may include rehabilitation, physical therapy Miami, chiropractic adjustment, massage therapy, trigger point injections, electrical muscle stimulation, and other extended care.

At our accident clinic Miami and Hollywood, we treat back pain, upper back pain, lower back pain, neck pain, whiplash, herniated disc, osteoporosis, etc. If you have sustained minor car accident injuries or serious ones, contact out car accident clinic in Miami today to schedule your initial consultation with one of our Miami accident chiropractors or auto accident doctors.